Your Yoga Practice
From Old Words Comes New Wisdom
by Sara Russell
How many times have you heard "hug the thigh muscles to the bone"? If you have been doing Iyengar yoga for some time, I am sure this instruction has crossed your brain waves at least once.
I came to my mat Christmas morning with another BKS saying in mind - that today's practice should be new. I should not attempt to repeat ... [Read On...]

First Impressions
By David Berson
I am fascinated by the ability of the body to remember sensations, seek them out, and evolve them into natural responses. When you learn a new physical activity such as a sport or a dance there’s an initial stage of being awkward and very aware of the motions. Over time the body develops what is sometimes call muscle memory. We start to react or do without ... [Read On...]

Begin Anew by Amy Duncan
It is September, the beginning of fall (9/22) and a new school year.
It is time to come inside, from beaches and mountains, travels and vacations.
It is time to begin anew your yoga asana practice.
It is time to return to your mat.
The purpose of yoga is to bring silence to the mind, to not live in the past nor in the future but to be present. Each time you come to ... [Read On...]

What is Missing in Your Yoga Practice?
I have just returned from the 2016 Iyengar Yoga Convention in Boca Raton Florida. About 1,200 yoga practitioners gathered for four days of practice, learning and deepening our yoga practice.
Our teacher was Abhijata Sridar, Mr. Iyengar's granddaughter. She came to us offering to share what she has learned from Mr. Iyengar. Abhijata was adept and ... [Read On...]

Patient Observation in Yoga by David Berson
On the first day of ninth grade my teacher read a story about a student assigned to examine a fish http://grammar.about.com/od/classicessays/a/Look-At-Your-Fish-By-Samuel-H-Scudder.htm to the class. In a short time the student made some notes and went to share them with the professor. The professor insisted the student reexamine the fish and find more ... [Read On...]

New Class - Yoga for Necks, Backs and Shoulders
with Nina Pileggi
Yoga can be helpful with keeping necks, backs and shoulders healthy and pain free. In this class we will do yoga poses that make space in the joints, relax and stretch the neck, back and shoulders, and strengthen key muscles groups. All levels are welcome. Use your class pass to attend.
This ongoing class starts Tuesday ... [Read On...]

Make Friends with a Yoga Pose
by David Berson
Are there some poses you enjoy doing much more than others? Maybe you groan internally when a teacher names the next pose and it’s one that you’re not a on first name basis with. Or maybe when you practice at home you only do the poses that come easily and skip the hard ones.
As a part of assessing for each level of teaching in the Iyengar system ... [Read On...]

Intense Yoga Intensive – Week-Long Yoga Workshop with Manouso Manos
At the beginning of July I attended a yoga intensive in San Francisco with senior Iyengar Yoga teacher Manouso Manos. The week was enlivening enlightening and uplifiting!
The Iyengar yoga community is far-reaching and incredible, and this week offered many chances to connect. I got to spend time with old friends and made some ... [Read On...]

June Essay - Letting Go - The Yoga Practice of Detachment
It seems that one of my favorite topics to write about is the yogic practice of detachment. Perhaps because true detachment is so difficult to pull off. We are told often to accomplish, and to be proud of our accomplishments. We are also told that if we put in the effort, it will pay off. We then make the mental leap that the payoff will ... [Read On...]

Concentration, Meditation and Absorption
I have been studying the third chapter of the Yoga Sutras known as the Vibhuti Pada . This chapter begins by defining concentration, meditation and absorption and then reveals what these three practices bring to the yoga practitioner. Let’s look at each of these more internally focused yogic petals.
Concentration (Dharana)
Concentration is defined as ... [Read On...]

From the Blog

Your Yoga Practice
From Old Words Comes New Wisdom
by Sara Russell
How many times have you heard "hug the thigh muscles to the bone"? If you have been doing Iyengar yoga for some time, I am sure ... [Read On...]

Pranayama Series
Six Tuesdays Beginning January 23
7:30-9:00pm
Pranayama is the yogic practice of breathing. In properly performed asana (yoga poses) the breath is used during the movement in and ... [Read On...]

Winter Solstice Restorative Class
with Amy Duncan
Sunday 12/17 4-6pm OR
Thursday 12/21 6-8pm
The root of the word solstice comes from a Latin word that means to stand or to stay still. At this ... [Read On...]